Manufacture of bread



Patented Dec. 13 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. KOHMAN, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNOR TO THE FLEISCE- MANN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATIONOF OHIO.

MANUFACTURE OF BREAD.

No Drawing. Original application filed December 12, 1924, Serial No.755,564. Divided and this application filed June 29, 1926. Serial No.119,275.

This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of leavenedbread, and

has as a general object the production of a loaf of improved quality ina convenient and economical manner. g

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a process of breadmanufacture in which the fermentation period or dough time may besubstantially completely eliminated without adversely afiecting thequality of the bread.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. process whereinthe'socalled soft or weak flours commonly known as pas try flours may beused alone, or in com bination with but a small quantity of strongflour. to produce a commercial bread of the best quality, with minimumvariation of the process to compensate for the different conditions oftemperature, humidity etc, which so vitally affect the product of theheretofore known baking processes. I

In the heretofore usual commercial processes the ingredients making upthe dough batch, necessarily flour. water, salt and yeast and usuallyalso milk, sugar and shortening, are mixed together into a dough, whichdough must be allowed to stand before dividing into loaves for a periodof several hours in order for the gluten to age or ripen so that the gasgenerated by the yeast fermentation will be retained by the dough whenthe loaf is placed in the oven. This period of fermentation or doughtime occupies from 2 to 6 or 7 hours, depending upon the quantity ofyeast employed and the quality and character of the bread it is desiredto produce. Not only do the dough troughs in which the dough standsrequire a large spacein practice about half the space required for thetotal baking operations-but also the ten'iperature and humidity of theair must be carefully regulated during this period to insure the properfermentation.

These difliculties have led to'the adoption to some extent of quickprocesses for making bread wherein by the use of an increased quantityof yeast and high temperatures, the fermenting time is materiallylessened or eliminated altogether. Such processes have not, however,been used by some bakers except as an emergency measure when anextraquantity of bread must be gotten out in the minimum of time, forthe reason that the resulting loaf, while acceptable and salable as acommercial loaf of bread, is not in their opinion, uniformly of as goodquality and leaf volume as can be produced with the same ingredients bythe ordinary process involving a fermentation period of reasonablelength. The reason for this is probably that the action of theyeast onthe gluten requires an appreciable tim'eregardless of the quantity ofyeast and the temperature employed. Consequently the bread produced bythe so-called no time dough processes is not uniformly so light and wellrisen as-brcad made from the same ingredients by the. ordinary methods.This difference is most apparentin the relative size of the loaves.Foninstance, loaves made from dough scaled to 500grams per loaf will, bythe usual processes of manufacture, have a volume of 2000 cc. or over,whereas loaves produced from the same quantity of a socalled no-timedough will average only somewhat more than about 1700 cc. per loaf.

By my improved process of manufacture I can produce loaves of 2200 cc.and over from 500 grams of dough, and without any more fermentationperiod than the so-called no-time doughs now made with the use of alarge quantity of yeast and higher fer- -mentation temperatures.

The'greater portion of the wheat raised in this country, particularlythe wheat grown east of the Mississippi and the Pacific coast wheats,produce weak flours, and in order to utilize such flours in themanufacture of bread, it has been heretofore customary to blend withsuch flours an equal quantity of strong flours of the type grown in thenorthwest of Kansas.

By my improved' process an excellent quality of bread can be made fromflours milled from Pacific coast wheats and similar weak flours alonewithout any admixture of northwest or Kansas flours, and even theweakest of pastry flours can be'used in my improved process when blendedwith an equal quantity of strong flour.

My invention resides particulary in employing in connection with theother ingredients of the dough batch which may be in accordance with anymodern approved formula, a dough-maturing agent of the kind thannecessary in ordinary time-dough baknection with bread-making, processesinvolving a prolonged fermentation period, and 1n mixing the dough morethoroughly ing practice. That is to-say, inthe ordinary process ofbread-making .in which the doughs are set aside for a fermentationmixing should be long periodof two or more hours the period of mixingbeyond that necessary to thoroughly commingle the ingredients has butlittle effect on the ultimate product. By my improved process, however,when the dough is not subjected to the action of the mixer for a periodlonger than required to mix the ingredients, it will tend to be shortand will not produce a satisfactory loaf 'of bread. While the period ofmixing may be varied somewhat in my improved p'rosess, depending, ofcourse, on the character and speed of the mixer and the dough maturingagent used, it is desirable when comparatively hard wheats are used, tocontinue the mixing for a' period of 2030 minutes. \Vith softer wheats,the period may be shortened, but in any case the period of enough tomake the dough tough and elastic. 1

The dough maturing agents which I have found particularly applicable tomypre'sent process are the persulphates, bromates, iodates andperiodates, particularly the potassium or sodium salts; These, salts arenot, however, entire equivalents, as some of them produce moreadvantageous result when used with strong flours while-some give theiroptimum result with weaker flours. Also, the salts must be usedin'widely varying proportions having no apparent relation to theirchemical formula or activity in other combinations.

' The quantities I have foundto give the best results are as follows,the figures representing the quantities of the particular salt employedper 1000 grams of flour used in the dough batch:

1 i Grams. Potassium persulfate 1. 0' -2.5 Potassium bromate. .2 .3

. Potassium iodatel" .015 025 Potassium periodate 01 .015

In using these salts I find that the po tassium ersulfate and potassiumbromate apparently produce the optimum result with soft flours, whilethe iodate and periodat'e apparently produce their optimum results withstrong flours such as milled from Min-. nesota wheat. As stated above,the doughs made with strong flours preferably should be subjected to theaction of the'mixer until the dough smooths out as for example for about20 minutes, while with the weaker flours the mixing period may be cutdown to about 10 minutes. I also preferablyemploy the usual methods.

cording to my improved method averages somewhat higher temperatures inthe mixer 7 any approved formula. The several ingredients are placed inapower mixer which is maintained in operation for a period of 3substantially 20 minutesand at a temperature such that the dough will beat about from 2630 (3., when the mixing is finished. a

mixing machine to the dividing machine and is thereupon scaled off intoloaves, molded, placed in the pans and proofed in the.

The' resulting loaf will compare favorably with bread made. inaccordance with The loaf volume acgreater-than the loaf volume made inaccordance with the usual practice. Also, the

The dough is taken directly from the bloom of the loaf. willbe equal toor better than the bloom of the loaf produced according to the ordinarymethod, even though only about one half as much sugar is em ployed in myimproved loaf. The reason for this is that due to the short period oftime that the yeast is active in the dough there is little opportunityfor the fermentation of the sugar in the dough and the resulting loafwill have about as much sugar although the mix contains only 50%- of thenormal sugar. There is also an actual saving in the amount of flourconsumed by the yeast in the'leavening process, this saving amountingto'as-much as 1% of the total flour of the dough batch. That thisconservation is obtained is obvious from the fact' that the dough'according to my improved process 15 not unched down, as is the case withdoughs w llCh are given afer-' mentation period in the dough trough;That is to say, according to my improved process the yeast is active inthe-dough for only a suilicient period to generate the necessary amountof gas to leaven the bread,'and there is substantially none squeezed outand wasted .as is the case when doughs are punched down in the usualmanner.

In using weak flours I find that potassium persulfate and potassiumbromate used in the quantity specified above per thousand grams of flourgive a better result than can be had with the other salts mentioned. In

' flour which are customarily used for standard fact, I'have been ableto obtain with weak fiours, even pastry flours, without blending withstrong flours, loaf 'volumes which compare favorably with the best loafvolumes obtainable, with strong flours in the commercial baking of breadaccordin to the usual practice. In utilizing such ours the only furtherchange necessary from the procedure described above is to cut down themixing period, to about 10. minutes instead of 20 or 30 minutes as ispreferable for strong flours. v

that I have been able to obtain in the practice of my improved process.It is to'be understood, however, that my invention is not limited to theuse of these salts, as other salts of like nature may be substituted forthem. It will also be understood that my process may be otherwise variedin-its details except in so far as specified in the accompanying claims.

This application is a division of my (:0-

Decem er 12, 1924.

.- The time given for the mixing' period ----Having described myinvention, what I based on the use of the present da commercial highspeed mixer which is t e type of mixer used in practically all largebaking establishments. When other types of mixers are employed theduration of the mixing operation will of course have tobecorrespondingly varied. My process is not recom-- mended where themixing is performed by hand, as .it is diflicult to work thedoughufliciently to get good results. Unless vigorousl mixed, the doughbreaks readily and weight of flour used. prodilces bread with poor crustand of course; 2. In a process of manufacturing leavened heavy texture.bread in which the flour, yeast and other As pointed out above, certainof the salts ingredients of the batch are mixed vigorously arebetter-adapted for different flours than and the dough substantiallyimmediately are other salts. I have found, however, that subdivided,proofed and baked, the improveby mixing the salts in certain proportionsment which comprises adding to the dough I can secure a product whichwill give ingredients, a dough maturing agent comexcellent result-s with"flours of varying prising from 0.02% to 0.03% potassium strength. Forexample, a mix ure of po sbromate based on the weight of flour used.sium iodate and potassium persulfate in the 3. Ina process ofmanufacturing leavened proportion of .015 KIO and .75 K S O per bread inwhich the flour, yeast and other thousand grams of flour producespractically ingredients of the batch are mixed vigorously uniformresults with the various blends of and the dough substantiallyimmediately subdivided, proofed and baked, the improve ment whichcomprises adding to the dough ingredients a mixture of dough maturinagents comprising about 0.0015% iodate an 0.008% bromate based on theweight of flour used.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature.

HENRY A. K HMAN.

claim as new anddes'ire to-s'ecure byliet ters Patent, is:

1. In a process of manufacturin leavened bread in which the flour, yeastan other ingredients of the batch are mixed vigorously and the doughsubstantially immediately subdivided, proofed and baked, theimproveingredients, a dough maturing agent comwhite wheat bread.

As a substitute for the above formula I have found a mixture of .015 K10and .08 KBrO per thousand gramsof flour to give substantially equivalentresults.

The'salts abovementioned, when used in the manner described, give thebest results pendin application Serial No. 755,564, filed ment whichcomprises adding to the dough prlslng at least 0.02% bromate based onthe

